City Lights
by XxxAnimaniacxxX
Summary: 'All I've ever wanted is freedom. But i guess that's too much to hope for.' KENLOS! Name may change. Contains supernatural stuff, kind of.
1. Chapter 1

Apparently, my family were a little snobby a few hundred years ago. There's an old story about my great-great . . . whatever grandfather. He was going to marry a girl named Emily. She was a servant in his house. The family mocked him for suggesting to marry someone as poor as Emily. My grandfather 'came to his senses' and left Emily for some rich girl. He also fired Emily, and she was left with no home, no money and no fiancée.

I guessed that's why she stabbed herself. Her mother was a witch, apparently. And she was pissed. She put a curse on the family. All she said was that one of my grandfather's descendants would feel the pain and rejection that Emily had felt. I understand why she was so angry. I would've been too. I would've done the same thing. But I have to say that the curse was pretty harsh all the same.

If that certain descendant touched anyone, bare skin to bare skin, it caused pain. Even shaking hands with that certain descendant would cause the second person to scream in agony. And that wasn't all. With that touch, the descendant saw right into the second person's mind. Maybe that was what caused the pain. I don't know, I just know that they saw a terrible memory, or a good one, or even a flash of thought as they felt the pain flow through their bodies like fire.

How do I know all this? I thought it was pretty obvious.

How would you feel if your mother was afraid to touch you? If I woke up in the middle of the night crying because of a nightmare, she wouldn't comfort me until she had gloves on. It was like I was some diseased thing that she wanted to avoid.

That was when I was smaller. It's still exactly the same. I'm seventeen now, and nothing's changed. You'd think I'd be used to it by now, but it still breaks my heart every time she looks at me like she's about to burst into tears. Like she'd give anything to have a normal son.

My parents even faked my death. Only their closest friends know about me. They kept me inside the house for seventeen years. The only time I ever stepped outside the door was the time when I was even, and I saw some other kids playing out in the street I wanted to join them so, so much.

I got halfway down the driveway before my mom caught me. Not that I would've made it much further. My parents have always been rich; so it's a big house, with a huge back garden, and a tall front gate. The rest of the house is surrounded by a tall stone wall.

It's like a prison. I'm the only prisoner.

Sometimes I would sit at one of the windows at the back of the house and just look out into the garden. At the very end of it, there was a tall back gate. The city was pretty much directly on the other side. Freedom.

But I guess that's too much to hope for.

**Prologue. Next chapter you're actually gonna find out who this is, LOL! Please review!**


	2. Chapter 2

**One small change. In the last chapter I said that Carlos (Yes, it's Carlos!) was sixteen. Or was it seventeen? Well, anyway! Now he's nineteen instead. That's all. Enjoy!**

"Carlos! Sarah's here!"

I groaned and got off my bed. I didn't feel like talking to anyone. I walked down the long hallway. There were screens pulled over the windows as usual. Anyone passing in the street would have no idea what was going on. But at least no one would see him. That was the most important thing, apparently.

Sarah smiled at me as I reached the bottom of the stairs.

"I haven't seen you in a while, so I thought I'd stop by! How've you been?"

"Alright. And you?"

"Oh, I'm great!" she replied cheerfully, flashing her peppy grin at me again. She might've been a pretty Latina girl with a cute smile, but she didn't boost my mood in the slightest. Knew it was only a matter of time.

I went into the living room with her and sat down. She sat next to me. This was the third time she'd been to visit me. I admit, I liked her. She was sweet. She was nicer than any of the other girls I'd met before. I could tell that automatically.

"So," she said. Then she put her hand on my arm. This is probably the reason I wore a short-sleeve t-shirt today. I knew she would do this, and it's just easier to speed up the process, in my opinion.

She shrieked and jumped backwards. "What the . . .?"

I just shrugged. I'd seen a flash of her mind when she touched me. She might've been sweet, but she was pretty shallow. Nothing but clothes and make-up n that brain of hers.

"My hand is _burning_. What did you do to it?"

"I thought you knew about the whole curse thing," I said lightly.

"Well, yeah, but . . ." she sighed. "Look, maybe this isn't gonna work out. I'm sorry. I'll see you around."

She got up and hurried out. I sighed and lay back. Well, it was the best reaction I've ever got. At least she didn't run away screaming, or call me a freak.

My mom came bursting into the room. "Carlos! Why are you wearing short sleeves? I told you not to!"

"You did? I didn't hear you," I couldn't help smirking as I said it.

She frowned at me. "Maybe if these girls actually met the real you, they'd like you more.

"I'm being myself, Mom. She just couldn't take it."

"No! Who you are now is not who you are! You're someone else that's going to come out eventually." She paused. "I'll just have to call someone else."

I sat up and paid attention. "Mom, you shouldn't—"

"End of discussion," she cut in, and left the room.

"But, Mom!" I followed her. "You can't keep this going forever! Maybe we should just give up!"

"NO!" She screamed. "I'm never giving up on you! Never!"

"It's the best thing for me!" I shouted back. "Can't you see that? Every time I just watch as they run away screaming! It's been happening since I was seventeen! Do you know how it makes me feel?"

She was silent.

"Well? _Do you?_"

"You won't feel that way anymore, once we find someone who can get rid of this curse," she said calmly.

I couldn't stand it when she was like this. By the way, apparently if someone the same as me (Hispanic or Latino or whatever you can call it) accepts me for who I am, and likes me, curse and all, then the curse disappears. Really cliché.

My dad came into the room. His look told me he'd heard everything. I stomped over to the refrigerator and opened it. "We're out of root beer. Can i borrow some cash to go to the store?"

"No. And don't change the subject."

I looked up at the back door. I felt so much longing.

But I was starting to form a plan in my mind. I was nineteen now, after all. An adult. I was old enough to move out. And if my parents wouldn't let me leave, then I'd have to run away.

**Did you like it? Hate it? Want to review it? I hope so!**


	3. Chapter 3

I grabbed a backpack from the closet and pulled various pieces of clothing out of the drawers. I never actually needed a backpack so I'm not sure why I have one, but it was going to come in handy now.

When I was finished packing I looked out the window. It was getting dark. Perfect. I started digging around in the drawers. I finally found a pair of black gloves. It snowed in the winter in Minnesota but I'd never been outside, so I never needed gloves either.

I sneaked down the stairs, backpack in hand. I could hear my mom and dad arguing in the living room. "Elena, you can't keep doing this to him. It's not fair!"

"He'll thank me when I get this God Damn curse off him!"

I gritted me teeth and kept walking into the kitchen. I saw my dad's wallet on the table and picked it up. I took out the credit card and slipped it into the back pocket of my jeans. All set.

I crept towards the back door and opened it.

"Carlos? Is that you?"

I panicked and pulled the door open, running out and shutting it behind me. I ran across the garden, praying that neither of them would go into the kitchen.

I finally reached the back gate and pushed it open. I shut it behind me and looked around. I was standing on a quiet side-street. There were a couple of kids playing soccer on the street. At first I was surprised, but it wasn't even six o'clock yet, so I guess all the kids stayed out that late.

I walked down the street and towards the centre of town. It looked amazing in the dark. Bright lights everywhere. I walked through the streets, dodging all the people who walked or ran passed me. So far I hadn't hurt anyone.

I spotted a group of kids skipping down another street with their parents, and after a minute I decided to follow.

I ended up in a square. I knew this was now officially my favourite place in the city.

The kids were running towards a small group of carnival rides. There were other kids at stands with men and women selling cotton candy and ice-cream.

Ther was another couple of children zooming around on tricycles and scooters over by a large fountain.

"Keep getting' stuck, stuck, but I'm never givin' up, up, in the middle of a perfect day, I'm trippin' over words to say . . ."

The singing and strumming of a guitar caught my attention. There was a lanky blond boy sitting on the small wall around the edge of the fountain. I hesitated for a second before walking over. He was playing a guitar and singing to the small group of people that had gathered in front of him. I saw that at least half of them were teenage girls.

There was an open guitar case by his feet, and I saw one of the girls toss a few coins into it. He winked at them and smiled as he kept singing. The guitar case also had giant bunch of red roses. The girl took one and smiled back at the boy before walking off.

I watched him for a little while, then he looked up and saw me. He smiled. "Hey."

"Hi. Uh, I don't have any money . . ."

The boy shrugged. "Doesn't matter. Here." He took one of the roses and handed it to me. "Give it to your girlfriend or something," he added with a grin.

I looked at him as he smiled at me, and for the first time in my whole life, i knew what it felt like to fall in love.

**Reviews are appreciated!**


	4. Chapter 4

**This story is indeed based on the movie Penelope! I pretty much got my inspitration for this whole story in the one scene where Penelope goes to the square and she's watching all the children and the band playing and then BOOM story idea! So i put the curse thing in and stuff, but I was mostly inspired by that one scene.**

I watched him sing for another little while. I found it intriguing, somehow. I'm not sure why. Maybe it's because I felt like that dopey character from twilight. Bella or something. I found my . . . Cedric Diggory? No, that wasn't it . . . Edwin Collins . . .?

He put down the guitar and stretched, yawning. People were clapping and some cheering, before moving away. He put the guitar in the case along with the money and the roses and shut it. He picked it up. "I guess I forgot to say. I'm Kendall." He held out his hand. I hesitated, but then remembered i had gloves. I shook his hand. "I'm Carlos."

I'll guess I'll see you around," he said to me with a shrug, before moving away.

"Yeah," i murmured. Then I remembered. "Wait!"He turned around. "Yeah?"

"Uh, can you tell me where I can find a cheap hotel somewhere? I'm er . . . new around here."

He nodded, smiling at me again. "Sure, I know a place. Come on."

I followed him through the square to a long row of bikes and motorcycles. He stopped a red one and handed me the helmet. "It's on my way home, so I'll give you a lift."

"Uh, ok, thanks. Don't you want the helmet?"

He shrugged and got on the bike. "I'll do without it for once. Come on, hop on."

I got on behind him, praying that I wasn't blushing.

He started the bike and we sped off. He didn't go very fast; it was small town streets, not a motorway. But I felt like I was flying. It was amazing.

He stopped outside a small hotel. I didn't look at the name; i was too busy concentrating on getting off the bike without tripping or just making a fool of myself in general. I handed him the helmet, and he put it on. "This place is god, but they're cheap too."

I nodded, smiling. "Thanks."

"Uh, so . . . you're new around here, and if you want anyone to show you around . . . um, I know the way around."

"Ok. That'd be good. Great. How about tomorrow? I could meet you in the square again." I looked at the floor. "I mean, if you want to."

"I'll see you at noon, maybe?" Kendall replied.

"Cool." I grinned at him, feeling my heart soar as I watched him go.

I went into the hotel and up to the front desk. It amused me that I was being called Ted Garcia. I went up to my room and dumped my backpack on the bed. There was an armchair in the room. I pushed it over to the window and sat down, looking out at the city lights.

**Not very good, but please review!**


	5. Chapter 5

When I went to the square the next day, I was buzzing with joy. Wow, that sounded corny.

I saw Kendall talking to two other guys and went over. "Hey, Carlos!" he greeted me. "This is James and Logan. They're friends of mine Guys this is Carlos. He's new around here." He smiled at me. "A friend."

"Hey, Carlos!" the first guy said, shaking my hand. "I'm James. "He was really tall, with brown hair. The other was smaller, with spike black hair. He shook my hand too. "Logan."

I smiled at both of them "So, we were going to show you around?" James said, wrapping an arm around Logan's shoulders. "Help you get to know the city is a little more?"

"That'd be cool."

Logan pushed James's arm off his shoulders, laughing. "We can start with the park! It's one of our favourite places to go."

"Just so they can make out behind a tree," Kendall muttered in my ear.

"Huh?" I looked at James and Logan, who were walking ahead of us , chatting and laughing. "They're . . . together or something?"

Kendall nodded.

"Does it not get awkward when the three of you hang out?"

Kendall shrugged. "Nah. We were all best friends before they got together, and they go on dates all the time."

The park was great. There was a gigantic pond, trees and grass everywhere, everything I'd hoped would be there. Kendal saw me staring in awe and laughed. "Like it?"

"Love it!"

"You don't get out much, do you?" James asked sitting on a bench.

"Not really, no."

"It doesn't matter. Logan didn't either until I got him a social life!" James teased. Logan scowled at him. "Hmm, before I met you, you had the IQ of a pencil!"

James pulled Logan onto the bench and started tickling him. "Take it back, Logie!"

"Make me, Jamie!"

"C'mon, Logiebear . . ." He kept tickling him Logan shrieked. "Fine!" He jumped off of James, glaring at him. Kendall was in stitches.

He saw my face and shrugged. "You get used to this after a while." James's phone started ringing. He answered it.

"Hey, Amy! How're you doing?"

Logan laughed. "Amy. That's like the third time she's called you since yesterday!"

"Is Amy a friend or something?" I asked.

"Nah. She's his cousin. Her mom is giving her a hard time so she ran away the night before last." He rolled his eyes. "She's been staying in a hotel, and calling James for advice very frequently."

James hung up and sighed. "She's not staying in the hotel anymore. She took her mom's credit card to pay for everything, but they used it to track her. She's grounded for a long time."

Shit. Crap. Not good.

Logan looked at his watch. "Ugh. I gotta go work." He started walking away. Then he looked back. "James, aren't you coming? You said you were trying out for a job today."

"Oh, yeah!" James leaped up and ran after him.

I looked at Kendall. "I need to go back to the hotel and check out. Now."

"Alright." Kendall walked with him. "So, you're a runaway too?"

"Yeah, sort of. You mad?"

"Why would I be mad? It's your choice. If you want, I can help you pack your stuff super fast. Or keep an eye out. If your parents are really determined to find you, checking the credit cards is probably the first thing they'll do once they know you've taken one."

I quickened my pace, practically sprinted through the door of the hotel and leaped up the stairs. I could barely unlock the door I eventually flung the door open and grabbed my backpack, stuffing anything I'd taken out the night before back into it. "Ok, let's get out of here."

I left the room and locked the door. We headed down the stairs, then as the lobby came into sight, I saw them. I jumped a foot in the air and dashed back up the stairs and out of sight. How could they be here?

But they were there, standing at the front desk. They were asking about Dad's credit card. How could I have been so stupid?

"Carlos?" Kendall looked down at me. "You look like you've seen a ghost."

"It's my parents," I breathed. "They're here. I can't let them see me . . ."

Kendall understood in a split second. "Ok." He walked down a couple more steps so he could see the reception. He turned back to me. "I'll distract them, and you just run to the reception and check out super fast. Then go to the men's room and hide until I come to get you. Alright?"

I nodded uncertainly. "Have you done this kind of thing before?"

"I'm friends with James and Logan. What do you think?" he smiled at me before walking down the stairs all casually.

I watched as he walked across the lobby until he was across from my parents. Then he stopped, moaned, gave a small shudder and collapsed on the floor. Mom shrieked when she saw and ran over to him, Dad following closely behind. I guess that underneath it all, they do have morals. I ran down the stairs and to the receptionist.

"I'd like to check out, now! Do I need to sign anything, or . . .?"

To my surprise, the receptionist just smiled at me. "Just get out of here before they see you. I'll take care of everything."

"Thanks!" I dashed down the hallway nd through the door into the men's' room. Then I could finally breathe. If only I'd chosen to check out a day earlier.

I dropped my backpack on the floor and leaned against the wall, panting.

A few minutes later I heard the door open. "Carlos?"

"Kendall!" I ran out of the stall. "Dude, that was awesome! Have you ever thought about going to Hollywood?"

"Nah, acting's not my thing. But thanks for the compliment! Your parents left."

"How did you get them to leave you alone?"

He smiled to himself. "I told them that at the present time I was suffering from a fainting spell."

"And they bought it?"

"It can happen!" But he was laughing. "And yeah, they bought it. I told them I'd be fine, and it was best not to bring me to the hospital. Now, let's go. You can come back to my place."

I followed him out of the bathroom and towards the door. We walked out and began heading down the street, when I heard someone scream my name.

_Nooo . . ._

"Carlos!" I heard them running. I didn't think about it; I grabbed hold of Kendall's arm and ran too.

"Carlos, come back!" We ran faster, dodging between pedestrians before we ran across the road. He heard angry beeping behind us, but we kept running. I heard Mom screaming my name one more time. For a second I felt a stab of guilt, but it quickly vanished as we eventually got to Kendall's bike and leaped on. "Take the helmet again!" Kendall grunted, pulling up the hood of his jacket, starting the bike and speeding off.

When we got to Kendall's apartment, we were both still out of breath. We both collapsed on the couch, gasping. Then we both started to laugh. We were in stitches, practically rolling around laughing.

Kendall wiped a tear fro his eye, still giggling. "Aw, man, that was hilarious!"

I nodded in agreement. "But I'm tired now."

"Me too."

I sighed and looked at him. He smiled back at me.

I didn't realise my lips were on his until I saw a flash of red. It looked exactly like blood. Blood on the floor . . .

"_Oh my God! Somebody help me, please! They're all dead! Please, someone help!"_

…

"_Hi, Kendall. I'm Agent Willis. Can you tell me what happened . . ."_

…

"_Get off me, please!"_

"_Sorry, kid. You're not getting away from this!"_

…

"_I swear to God, that's the last time he's gonna touch you . . ."_

_**No.**_ My eyes snapped open and I jumped off Kendall. He was breathing hard. He looked at me with wide eyes. "Carlos, what did you do to me?"

**Cliffy! Of sorts . . . please review!**


	6. Chapter 6

I swallowed. "Uh . . . I . . . I'm sorry . . ."

"I'm not mad at you! I just want to know what you did," He paused. "And how you did it."

"Er . . . you probably won't believe me."

"I'll try to, anyway."

I took a deep breath. I meant to speak slowly, but it all came out in a rush. "I'm cursed. If I touch anyone bare skin to bare skin I hurt them and I don't mean to but it always happens and sometimes it's enough to make people scream in agony and my parents told everyone I died and kept me locked in the house and tried to match me off to girls because apparently a girl who's like me can break the curse if they like me for who I am and when I touch someone I see into their mind as well and . . . and . . . and I'm _so_ sorry! I didn't mean to hurt you! I'd give _anything_ to have a normal life!"

I finally stopped and waited for his reaction. He looked like he was still processing everything I'd just said. "So, you saw into my mind?"

"Yeah."

"What did you see?"

The question caught me off guard, and he looked strangely desperate for my answer. "I didn't really see anything. But I heard voices."

Kendall nodded. "Did you run away because you were sick of being locked up?"

"Yes." I stood up. "I guess I'll see you. Maybe."

"Wait!" He grabbed my arm. "Where are you going?"

I sniffed, annoyed that I felt tears in my eyes. "I don't know. I guess I'll . . . I dunno."

"You can't go to another hotel. Your parents will track you again."

"I know! But it's not your job to worry about me!"

"What's that supposed to mean?" He stood up too. "I _care_ about you, alright? I do, probably more than I should, but that doesn't matter. I don't care if you hurt people! I don't care if you hurt _me_!"

I wiped my eyes, praying the tears wouldn't spill over. "You don't?"

"No. And I'm not going to let you walk out of here, alone and with nowhere to go."

"Then what am I supposed to do?" I almost screamed in frustration.

Kendall held out his hand. "Backpack."

"Uh . . . ok." I handed him the backpack. He walked to one of the doors of the apartment and opened it. "Come on."

I followed him through the door. "What is this?"

"What does it look like?"

"A . . . bedroom."

"Well, there you go. It's a bedroom. And it's yours, until you decide you get sick of me and run screaming out the door."

"Uh . . . thank you. But, are you sure?"

"Of course I am."

"Ok." I looked at him. "Shouldn't I give you something in return? I could . . . I don't know, help clean the apartment, or . . ."

"Or you could just kiss me again."

"Huh?" At first I wasn't sure I'd heard him right. "But . . . I'll hurt you."

"I said that I didn't care."

"I see into your mind too, though."

He swallowed. "I know. That's what I'm more worried about. But I trust you. Just . . . I didn't run away from you. Promise you won't run away from me either?"

"Why would I run? Are you a serial killer or something?" It was meant to be a joke but he didn't smile.

"Just promise me. Please."

"I promise."

He smiled at me. "Thanks."

I hesitated before pressing my lips to his again. It made my knees weak and I ended up pushing him onto the bed and lying on top of him to avoid falling on the floor. It was only my first kiss, but it was definitely the best one ever.

Then I saw his mind again.

"_You might hate me for what I did, but I protected you."_

"_You're my mom; I could never hate you . . ."_

_..._

"_You wouldn't really tell her, would you? It would upset her so much . . . you're better off keeping your mouth shut . . ."_

_..._

"_Where do you keep disappearing to? And you're always so secretive . . ."_

_..._

"_You can't see her! I don't care if she's your mother, she's a bad influence on you!"_

"_What do you know? You've never even met her!"_

…

"_You're mom's a __**murderer**__!"_

Kendall was shaking and whimpering quietly underneath me. I made to remove my mouth from his, but he wrapped his arms around my neck and kept me there.

"I don't care how much you hurt me . . ." he choked, even as a single tear slid down his cheek. "I love you . . ."

"I love you too."

I held his bare hands with my gloved ones and sat up. "But we should stop with the making out now. It's never happened before, but there's always the chance of me killing you."

He nodded shakily. "Ok."

He sat up too. "I guess it's a bit stupid, saying that I love you when I've only known you for like, a day."

"I actually feel the same. It's weird; I think I kind of fell in love with you when we met in the square."

He laughed and got off the bed. "Well, that's no surprise. Everyone loves my singing."

"And you're modest too!" I smirked.

"Oh, yeah. So modest."

I picked up my backpack. "I'll unpack now, I guess." Suddenly, a thought came into my head. "Hey."

"Yeah?"

"I've never asked anyone this, cos they never want to talk about it, but when I saw into your mind, did you see what I was seeing?"

"Oh." He frowned thoughtfully. "Did you hear a bunch of critical voices echoing around?"

"Yeah. I think one of them was James. The one that said you were really secretive."

He nodded. "Uh huh. I guess I can't blame him or Logan for getting annoyed with me. But . . ." He sighed.

I let out a shaky breath before getting the courage to ask. "Is you mom really a murderer?"

Kendall ran a hand through his hair, looking at the floor. "Yes. I . . . I'll explain to you later."

I nodded. "You don't have to, butt I'd like it if you did. I mean . . . I told you something I'd been desperate to get off my chest. You should do the same."

He nodded, looking more confident now. "I will." He looked at his watch. "But I have to go now. I'll be back in an hour, or something."

"Is this what James meant when he said you were always disappearing?"

"Yeah, and I'm sorry. I'll explain later. Bye."

He left the apartment. I sat on the bed, opening my backpack. I felt happy now. Even though the guilt at the pit of my stomach wouldn't go away, and I could still hear my mom calling my name.

**I'm not sure how this chapter turned out. Anyway, give me your thoughts!**


	7. Chapter 7

I looked around the apartment for a while, looking around. I saw a photo album on the coffee table of the living room. I hesitated before sitting on the couch and opening it.

There weren't many pictures in it. There were some of him, James and Logan. And a couple of him and a redhead woman who I assumed must be his mother. Or a sister; she looked quite young. I flipped to the back page and saw a photo with seven people in it. There were three boys; two in their teens, one a little older. A man and a woman, a redhead teenage girl and a small baby boy in the woman's arms.

"Curiosity killed the cat, you know."

I jumped and snapped the album shut. "Sorry, I was just looking."

Kendall shrugged and sat next to me. I turned to the back page again. "Is this your family? Are you the baby?"

Kendall nodded, looking at the photo too. I looked at him. I saw the pained expression on his face and sighed. "If you don't want to tell me, you don't have to."

"Do you want me to tell you?"

"Well yeah, but—"

Then I'll tell you. I think I'll probably feel a little better once I've told someone, anyway." He sighed. "Ok. Uh . . . all the times I was 'disappearing', including today, I was visiting my mother." He pointed to the redhead girl. "That's her."

I waited for him to continue. "She's in prison. She got the life sentence, because she killed the whole family, except that tall guy, cos he was away at college. She did it to protect me." I saw his eyes were full of tears. I took his hand and squeezed it reassuringly. He smiled at me before continuing. "It was really my dad that she was saving me from." He pointed to the man in the picture. "He was a sick-minded freak." The venom in his voice surprised me a little.

I thought for a second before asking. "But why the rest of the family?"

Kendall let out a shaky breath. "Because . . . they should've protected her."

"Her? From who?"

He sighed and pointed to the man in the photo. "From my dad."

"But how . . ." Then I realised. "Oh my God. That . . ." I was totally lost for words. "It's . . ."

"Sick? Wrong? It's both of those things." He laughed sadly. "Since both my parents are related, shouldn't there be something wrong with me? Isn't that what usually happens? But I turned out ok." He gritted his teeth. "She was _thirteen_, Carlos. When I was born, he finally left her alone. And she thought she was finally free from him.

"The whole family just said I was her brother, and everyone believed it. I'm a guy, and he'd never bothered any of her brothers, so she thought he'd leave me alone."

He laughed again. "I was four when he started coming into _my_ room at night. I was eight when my mom found out. She said that she wasn't going to let him hurt me anymore." A single tear slid down his cheek. "The next night, they were all dead. I saw them."

He sighed. "Well, now you know. There's my story. I grew up in foster homes until I got kicked out at eighteen. I stayed with Logan and worked until I had enough money for my own place, and here I am."

Another tear slid down his face. I didn't hesitate before slowly grabbing him by the sides of his face and kissing him gently. I moved my lips to his cheeks, kissing the tears away. He wrapped his hands around my neck and pulled me into another kiss. I wrapped my arms around his waist and pulled him to his feet. "Thanks for telling me," I murmured between kisses.

"Thanks for listening."

I lifted him into the air when there was a flash of light in my mind.

"_What's he doing here? What happened to his family?"_

"_His mother's in prison for murdering his family . . ."_

Kendall's legs were wrapped around my waist as I walked across the living room, still kissing all the pain and sorrow away.

_A small blonde boy was pinned down onto his bed, by huge hands pushing him down by his upper arms. He hated the way the tall man was leering at him, a horrible smirk on his face as he began to pull the boy's clothes off . . ._

Kendall looked up at me, and I saw fear in his eyes. I realised what position we were in, though I wasn't sure how we'd got there. We were both lying on his bed, me straddling his waist. I sighed. "This is the most complicated relationship I've ever been in." I paused. "Not that I've been in many relationships."

Kendall just smiled up at me. "You're amazing, you know that?"

"Why?" I laughed, sliding down until our faces were level.

"You just are."

* * *

It's been three weeks since that day when Kendall told me about his family. Me, Kendall, James and Logan were like a foursome now, nearly always together. I still used the credit card, but they couldn't track me since I wasn't staying anywhere that they could find me. With Kendall's persuasion, I started sending postcards to my parents. Just telling them I was ok, the friends I had, what I was doing. How happy I was.

I still lived with Kendall; I had my own key and everything. And since we were really a couple now, it was needless to say that the spare room I was originally going to sleep in was completely forgotten. James and Logan knew about us being together. They teased us a little about it, but otherwise they didn't treat us any differently.

One morning I woke up to find that Kendall's side of the bed was empty. I immediately sat up and looked around. "Kendall?"

"The bathroom, Carlos," came a hoarse reply. I hopped up and went to the bathroom. Kendall was sitting on the tiled floor, leaning against the wall. His face was really pale and he had dark circles under his eyes. "Kendall, you look terrible."

"Thanks," he laughed weakly.

"I didn't mean it like that," I replied, kneeling next to him. "Are you sick?"

He nodded. "It's not much, just a bad cold; but I felt a little sick so I came in here." He shut his eyes and groaned quietly. "I'll just stay in bed for the day."

"You want me to stay with you?" I asked. He shook his head. "I'll be fine. You go, meet James and Carlos."

"Okay," I said uncertainly. "If you're sure."

He nodded. I smiled to myself, sliding my arms around him and picking him up. He rested his head on my shoulder, sighing. "I hate being sick."

"I hate it when you get sick," I replied simply, carrying him to our room and placing him down on the bed. "I'll see you later."

Once I was ready, I grabbed my jacket and headed downstairs. I smiled at the manager sitting at the front desk; he was used to me living here by now.

I headed down the street, towards the park. I saw James and Logan waiting there for me. "Hey, Carlitos! Where's Kendall?"

"He's sick," I explained. "Only a little, but he decided to stay at home." I paused. "So, what do you wanna do?"

James shrugged. "I'm hungry. You wanna go get food?"

We got takeaway burgers and sat in the park, talking about many random things. These two were really like the brothers I never had.

"So, Carlos," Logan said, taking a sip of the cola he'd bought. "You never told us where you came from."

"Huh?"

"You aid you were new around here. Where are you from?"

"Oh. Well, I . . . hmm . . ." I debated for a few seconds then I just gave up. I've never been a good liar." My parents were a little crazy. They hardly ever let me go out. That's why I don't know my way around."

"Oh." James nodded. "And you finally convinced them to let you go?"

"Yeah," I grinned, praying they'd leave it at that. They did.

* * *

Four hours later, I walked back to the apartment building, whistling to myself. My whistling died away as I got distracted by an argument going on at the front desk between the manager, Mr. Bitters, and a tall, dark-haired guy who looked about thirty.

"Just let me go upstairs!"

"I'm sorry, sir, but until I reach the tenant you wish to visit and—"

"I'm family, man! I already have permission!"

Then Mr. Bitters suddenly spotted me. "Carlos!"

"Hey, Mr. Bitters," I said, walking to the front desk. "What's up?"

"You and Kendall Knight share an apartment, don't you?"

"Yeah," I replied, not sure what he was getting at.

The man turned to me. "Hi. My name's Even Knight. I'm Kendall's uncle."

His _uncle_.

My heart skipped a beat. The guy who was away at college. The only one who wasn't killed. The man who _lived_!

"Ehh . . ."

"Look, can you just tell this guy that he's got no problem with me coming up to se him?"

"Er, you see, the thing is . . . he mightn't be there right now," I lied, praying that he'd believe me and leave it. "He told me he might go out to visit a friend of his. I don't know the name. I'll go up and see if he's there, if you like."

The man smiled. "Thanks. I'd appreciate that."

"Ok. I'll go up now." I turned and walked towards the stairs. Once I got past the door, I broke into a run. I ran up the stairs, glad the apartment was only on the second floor.

I took out my key as I was running and stuck it in the keyhole. I managed to get the door open and almost fell through it.

"Carlos?" Kendall looked at me from his place on the couch. "You look like you've seen a ghost."

I looked at Kendall, seeing that he was dressed, and he no longer had the pale, ghostly look on his face. "You're better."

He nodded, grinning. "Are you gonna tell me what's wrong?"

"There's someone . . . _*gasp*_ . . . at the front desk . . . _*pant*_ . . . he wants to see you. He says he's your . . ." I took a breath of air before continuing. " . . . Uncle."

"What?" Kendall was on his feet in an instant. "Evan?"

I nodded. Kendall's eyes widened. "Oh my God," he muttered blankly. "What's he doing here? I haven't seen him since I was eight years old!"

He looked at me, a lost look in his eyes. "Carlos, what should I do?"

I shrugged. "What was he like when you were little?

"He was nice, I guess. He went to college when I was like five. I only saw him after that at Christmas and stuff."

He sighed. "Well, what could go wrong?"

"So, you're gonna invite him up here?" I asked.

"Yeah. I'll do that."

I nodded. "Actually, I can tell him if you ant. I was gonna . . ." I looked t the floor. " . . . I was actually thinking about going to visit your mom. I dunno, I'd like to meet her."

Kendall smiled at me. "Alright. You know where it is?"

"There's only one prison in this town." I grinned at him. "I think I can find it."

I wet back downstairs. "You can go up," I called to Evan as I passed, leaving the building again.

I was really used to finding my way around by now, and it only took me five minutes to get to the prison.

"Hi, um . . . I came to see Challen Knight."

It was easier than I thought, and soon I was siting on one side of a glass window with Kendall's mom on the other. She pointed at the phone hanging on the wall and I picked it up.

"Who are you?" she asked me. I liked her straight away; her vice was kind.

"I'm Carlos, a friend of Kendall's." I paused for a second before continuing. "His boyfriend, actually."

"Ah. Well, nice to see you. I think Kendall mentioned you the last time he wa here." She smiled. "I always ask him all these questions. It's my job, after all." She sighed. "So, why are you here?"

"I just wanted to meet you, I guess. Kendall couldn't come, so I though I'd come alone " I laughed. "I'm not that much of a bore, am I?"

She smiled. "Of course not. You're a sweet kid." Her smile faltered for a second. "What's the matter with Kendall?"

"Nothing's wrong, it's just that his uncle came to see him—"

I stopped talking, because Mrs. Knight had dropped the phone. She was staring at me with wide eyes. She said something, but I couldn't understand. I pointed to the phone and she picked it up again.

"Not my brother Evan?"

"Yeah, your brother Evan."

"No, that's not a god idea. Listen, Evan came to se me the other day, and he was angry. He hates both of us. Calls us home-wreckers. He's not visiting Kendall for kind, thoughtful reasons. I don't know why he is, but it can't be good."

I couldn't believe this. "Ok, thanks. I'll go back to the apartment. I'll come see you again, ok" I put the phone back and left.

**Please review cos I really need feedback! Thank you!**


	8. Chapter 8

I couldn't get my head around this. Did Evan really only come to see Kendall so he could hurt him? It seemed like a waste of time to me. And if Evan really wanted to hurt Kendall, surely he would've done it when Kendall was a kid, instead of now when he was nineteen. It didn't make any sense.

I hurried down the street, praying I wouldn't see my parents anywhere. I really didn't need any more complications right now. I dashed into the apartment building for the second time that day. "Hey Mr. Bitters! Bye Mr. Bitters!"

"Carlos? What's the hurry? Carlos!" I ignored him calling me as I ran back to the stairs, wishing like crazy that I could just grow wings and fly up. I reached the end of the hallway and ran to the apartment, hearing muffled screaming and shouting. I stopped outside the apartment door, fumbling for my keys. I could hear what they were saying now.

"Hold still, you little slut!"

"What, so you're like Dad now, is it? Though I don't remember him ever calling me a slut before. That must be new!"

"Shut the fuck up!"

"Why, are you gonna shoot me? I wouldn't be any fun then!"

I finally got my keys out and was about to open the door when I heard it.

Two gunshots, a few seconds apart. Then there was silence. I suddenly couldn't bring myself to open the door. I was so terrified of what I would see. I backed into the wall opposite the door, trembling. Then I turned and ran. I made it to the stairs before I broke down in tears.

I sat on the steps, sobbing. Kendall was gone. His family did it to him. How could they do that? He'd never done anything to them. It wasn't right . . .

I was still sobbing when I heard the door to the stairs open. At first I thought it was Evan, and I stiffened, waiting to see what he'd do. Although I didn't really care anymore if he killed me or not. Then I heard whoever it was stop. "Carlos?"

I looked around. I thought my eyes must've been deceiving me, mocking me. But at the same time, he looked pretty real. And alive.

"Kendall?"

I jumped up. "What the hell? I thought . . . I mean . . . when I heard . . ."

"No." Kendall sighed. "I'm still here." He looked at the floor, his eyes full of tears. "I didn't mean to kill him. But he attacked me ad he had a gun . . ." I then noticed that there was blood on his arm. And that half his shirt had been ripped open, the buttons missing. There was blood there too. "Kendall . . . how did this happen?"

He shrugged mournfully. "When I was trying to get the gun off him he shot me in the arm. He was on top of me when I killed him. This is his blood." He stared blankly ahead of him. "I can't believe I'm so calm about this. I thought I'd be an emotional mess after it."

I gave him a hug. "You know we're gonna have to call someone to get rid of him. And . . ." I sniffed, feeling the tears building up again. "You might be charged with murder."

**I know this was too short but I wanted to end it there. Next chapter will be the last one! Please please review!**


	9. Chapter 9

I sat down in one of the hard wooden chairs in the office in the Interrogation room, shaking. "Hi. Your name is Carlos Garcia?"

I nodded, looking at the cop in front of me. She had long dark hair and soft eyes. But I was terrified that she was going to put Kendall in prison.

"Well, I'm Jenny Willis. I'm with the evidence department." She paused. "Can you tell me what happened?"

Her name was strangely familiar in my mind, but I couldn't place her. "I went to visit Kendall's mom, and she told me that letting Evan anywhere near Kendall was a bad idea . . ." I trailed off, suddenly realising it. "Wait! You worked on the case about his family, didn't you?"

"How did you know?" she asked cautiously. "Did Kendall tell you?"

"Yeah," I lied. "Anyway, I ran back to the apartment and when I was taking out my keys so I could open the door I heard screaming and shouting inside."

"Did you hear what they were saying?"

"No," I lied again. "it was all kind of muffled. But it sounded like Evan was attacking Kendall, then there were two gunshots." I swallowed. "And I ran to the stairs. Kendall found me there."

Sara was silent for a few seconds. "Ok. Is that all you remember?"

"Yes." I paused, watching her face for any hint of whether she believed me or not. "You know he'd innocent! It was self-defence!" She didn't say anything. "You met him when he was a kid! Did he seem like a murderer to you?"

"No," she replied sullenly. "He didn't. But people change. You can go now."

I stood up and left the room, going straight to the front desk area and sitting in one of the chairs. I didn't know where Kendall was, and I couldn't stop worrying. What if they didn't believe him?

Then I heard someone call my name, and suddenly I was enveloped in two tight pairs of arms. My mom looked at me, her eyes full of tears. "You're safe!"

I just nodded, wondering how the hell they found me. "C'mon," my dad said, taking be by the arm. "We talked to the cops, and you're free to go. Let's go back to the car."

"I can't go home, Dad."

"What?" My parents looked at me in shock. "Why not?"

"I have to stay and wait for Kendall."

"Who?" Then my mom realised and her face went cold. "He's the blonde from the hotel, isn't he? He's the one that shot his uncle. Sweetie, you need to come home with us, now."

"No, Mom!" I persisted. "Yeah, he's the guy from the hotel, and he shot him in self-defence! He was going to get killed himself!"

I could tell she didn't believe me. "Mom," I begged. "I need him. And he needs me too."

"What are you talking about, Carlos?" Dad demanded.

"He's my boyfriend," I replied quietly. They both stared at me. "Yes, I'm gay! So what? You're not gonna love me anymore? Not that you did in the first place."

"We've always loved you!"

"Really?" I reached to take my mom's hand, which she put behind her back. "Then why can't you bear to touch me?" I asked, feeling my heart break. "Kendall loves me; he doesn't care about the curse and he's only known me for a month! You've been my parents for nineteen years, and you still can't take it."

"Ahem." I spun around, and my face broke into a smile. Kendall had just appeared from around the corner of the hallway. He was walking over to me. I went up to him, meeting him halfway. He just looked at me for a few seconds, and my smile vanished. Was it bad news?

He grinned at me. "They're letting me go." I had to stop myself shrieking as I hugged him, almost lifting him off the ground. His arms were around my neck and he was laughing. He kissed me lightly, and then he saw my parents. "Oh."

I nodded, pulling back from the hug, taking him by the hand and leading him over. I could already see little flashes of his mind, but this time I did something I'd never even attempted before. I just pushed them to the back of my mind.

"Mom, Dad, you remember Kendall." I watched them to see what they'd do. I saw my mom look at our intertwined hands, eyes wide.

"Hi, Kendall," Dad said slowly. I looked past my parents at the door when I heard someone else walk in. It was a girl with wavy brown hair. A Latina. She smiled at me. I stared at her.

"Sarah?"

"Hi, Carlos," she smiled walking up. "I called to your house and the butler told me you were all here. Can I talk to you for a minute?"

"Ok." I walked to the other side of the room with her. "Look, I'm sorry about before. I wasn't thinking straight, and I do really like you. Will you give me another chance?"

I thought about it. I could spend the rest of my life with Sarah. I could haver kids, and I'd definitely treat them right. I could spend time with my mom and dada without them being scared of me. I could have the curse taken off me forever. I'd be happy.

My eyes travelled to the other side of the room, where my parents and Kendall were. He looked up and our eyes locked for a second. I could see everything in his eyes. He would be upset if I left him for Sarah, but he wanted me to be happy, and that was more important. He knew how much I cvouldn't stand this curse, how I'd give anything for a normal life.

I turned back to Sarah. "Sarah, i like you too, but the thing is . . . there's somebody else. I hope you understand, and maybe . . ." I sighed. "We can be friends?"

I thought she'd get annoyed or upset, but she smiled and enveloped me in a hug. "Friends it is." She pulled back. "He's lucky to have you," she grinned, before walinig out. My mom rushed up to me.

"What are you doing?" she hissed. "Are you really going to walk away from your only chance—our only chance at a normal life?"

I stared at her in disgust. "Mom, I don't want to change. I like myself the way I am. And myself wants to be with Kendall, not Sarah. I love him, Mom. If you can't respect my choices or the way I want to live my life, then how can I even call you my mom? You don't act like it!"

"Carlos . . ." Mom trailed off, her eyes filled with tears. Then her expression hardened. "Fine. Call me when you get some sense."

She walked up to Dad, grabbed him by the arm and pulled him away. I let out a shaky breath and walked up to Kendall. "Let's go home," I murmured, taking him by the hand.

"Are you ok?" Kendall asked me as we got out into the street.

I sighed. "No." I smiled. "But I still have you, so I'm alright."

Kendall smiled back. "Your parents will come around, you'll see."

%%%

When I woke up in the morning, my arms were still wrapped around Kendall's waist, his head resting on my shoulder. I snuggled closer into him, feeling more comfortable than I'd ever felt in my life.

Then my eyes snapped open because I realised that all night we'd been touching off each other. Our whole bodies, bare skin to bare skin. I sat up suddenly, Kendall's head slipping off my shoulder and falling back on the pillow. I gripped him by the shoulder and shook him. "Kendall? Wake up."

He didn't stir. I felt my panic increasing as I shook him harder. "Kendall! Open your eyes, move, do anything!"

His eyelids fluttered for a second, then his eyes opened. I breathed a long sigh of relief as he looked up at me. "Carlos? Are you crying?"

I put a hand on my cheek and felt the damp. "Yeah. I didn't realise." I looked down at him. "I was scared . . . I thought I killed you."

Kendall sat up. "Why? Because of the curse thing?"

"Yes."

He frowned thoughtfully. "I've just remembered something. Last night when we were . . . um, getting intimate, I didn't feel any pain."

I stared at him. "Give me your hand." I took it, and we both sat there, waiting.

Nothing happened. I stared at his hand, hopelessly confused. "I don't understand this."

Kendall was grinning at me. "Carlos, do you like yourself?"

"Well, I told Mom that I did, and I guess I do." I stopped, my eyes widening. "You don't think . . ."

"I do think! Dude, you're free!"

I sat in silence for another second, taking it in. Then I started cheering, and Kendall was laughing at my reaction. I launched myself on top of him, both of us rolling around. Then the bed seemed to vanish and we ended up on the floor tangled in the sheets, me on top of him.

I smiled down at him. "I love you."

"I love you more," he replied with a grin, both of us sitting up. "Why don't you call your parents and tell them?" he suggested. "They'll be so happy."

I nodded, untangling myself from the sheets and standing up. "Is the phone in the kitchen?"

He nodded, getting up. "While you're doing that, I'm gonna go put some clothes on."

"Do you have to?"

He rolled his eyes at me. "That's cute. Now go call your family."

I found my boxers on the floor and put them on, going to get the phone.

I anxiously waited for an answer. Then I heard it. "Garcia residence."

"Mom?"

"Carlos!" The joy in her voice made me smile. "Did you think about what I said? Are you coming home?"

"No," I replied. "Mom, the curse is gone. I got rid of it myself." There was silence on the other end. "Can I come over and get the rest of my stuff?"

"Uh . . . yeah, of course. Come right over." She hung up. I put the phone down and sighed. Then it rang again. I looked at it before answering. "Hello?"

"Carlos."

"Mom? Why'd you call again?"

"I just want to say I'm sorry, and I'm so proud of you." I heard her laugh. "I didn't want to wait until later."

"Thanks, Mom. I'll see you soon?"

"Ok. Love you."

"Love you too."

This time I hung up, smiling to myself. Things were finally working out.

**How did that ending go? Tell me what you people think!**


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